Teenager jailed for murder of 15-year-old in park

A teenager has been jailed for life for the murder of a 15-year-old boy in a north London park.

Deshaun James Tuitt was fatally stabbed in Highbury Fields, Islington, shortly before 21:00 BST on 4 August 2022.

The 17-year-old defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was found guilty of his murder in February.

He was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 15 years at the Old Bailey on Friday, reduced by the 598 days he has already spent in custody.

Sentencing, Judge Angela Rafferty KC said: "You killed Deshaun. You have been in custody for 598 days. You know what the sentence is going to be."

The defendant showed no emotion as the sentence was passed.

The court heard the defendant had travelled to the park with a group of other youths, carrying a large knife and wearing a face covering.

He was described by police as "looking for trouble".

Deshaun had been attending a friend's birthday celebration at the park when he was confronted.

During an altercation, he was stabbed once in the chest, the knife penetrating 17cm (6.7in) deep, the court previously heard.

After staggering towards police officers, telling them "officer, I've been stabbed", Deshaun collapsed and died.

Defence barrister Michael Magarian KC argued that the defendant had only just turned 15 at the time of the stabbing, and that the incident was spontaneous rather than premeditated.

He pointed to a troubled upbringing and reports that the teenager had been at risk of exploitation by older criminals.

Judge Rafferty said she did not believe the court had heard the "full picture" of events that day, but it was clear the teenager had armed himself with a large knife and brought it into a busy public park.

The judge said that although the killing was not pre-planned, she was sure the defendant intended to cause Deshaun very serious harm.

"He was only 15 too," she said. "You walked past him and must have seen him there being treated. He is dead now."

Deshaun's father was too upset to write a victim impact statement for the court.

Earlier, prosecutor Danny Robinson KC told the court the defendant had three previous convictions for five offences.

Two robberies took place in July 2022, when victims were threatened for their phones and valuables.

The defendant's previous convictions for robberies committed shortly before the murder made his actions "even more serious", Judge Rafferty added.

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